And the Music Drifts Away into Darkness
by Aesthetic Angel
Summary: WARNING Spoilers! Every day Marlene has looked through the eyes of a doll to see a world that she cannot enter...it's time to look past the shallow, unmarred doll and see the broken girl inside. Read and Review!


Disclaimer: I do not own 'Okage: Shadow King/Boku to Maou', hence, none of the characters portrayed are mine. Zener Works is part of the creation of this wonderful RPG game. I am but one of the many chosen fans to play, and appreciate, the meaning of this game. My thanks goes out to all who worked on this game.

Author's Notes: Rated G. The only warning I would paste on this is that it contains **_major_ spoilers** for the game. In other words...if you haven't played the game, or you're not finished with it (And you don't want to spoil the ending for yourself), then don't read this fic. Oh, and I'd like to say that this story is supposed to have a choppy randomness about it, so sorry if you think it's a bit repetitive!. I'd like everyone to also take note that I listened to the Music Box song from 'Okage' the whole time I wrote this. Music is a powerful thing.

Dedication: I don't know very many people who actually played, or liked, this game. So, this dedication goes out to no-one in particular. I believe it should go to the people who have ever felt lost and alone as she is. Let us all hope there is a light that can be found within the hearts of us all.

**'And the Music Drifts Away into Darkness...' **

"I'm scared."

I'm afraid to go out there. To go out to a place where no-one can see me. Where I don't belong. A place that harbors people like me, yet, they do not wish to see me. If I hadn't lost myself in the world of 'classification', the world Papa created for me, then I wouldn't be alone. I'm afraid of being alone...

"They don't understand..."

The people here don't understand. These...'disregarded'...ones. They do not know how it feels to be the first one who has been overshadowed. To be the first is...complicated. I walked alone, being ignored by everyone I met. I had no place to go, and when I found a place, it was a place where I was alone. This place was what I called my home.

I'm just a 'sobbing, distraught girl' to them. I apologize for being the way I am, but I cannot help it. It makes me sad, though, that I cause distress to the ones around me. The only ones who can see me...

"Papa doesn't understand."

When I had became overshadowed, Papa was looking for me. I think he cried. I had been another one lost in his world. And it must have hurt him, a lot. "I'm sorry, Papa." I didn't mean to lose sight of you. I...I'm sorry for being someone who couldn't be merged within the world of 'classification'...

After being lost, Papa created those dolls. He gave them the 'classification' of me, and gave them whatever life they choose. He gave them a free will, and served them. Papa tried to create the perfect world for his dolls, probably because he couldn't create one for me.

"It's been such a long time..."

I have always been able to see through the eyes of the dolls that my Papa creates in the world of 'classification'. I've been able to feel their happiness, and know their sorrow. Joy and depression surge through them and into me without my consent. I feel what they feel, and they are the ones that let me see through to the world.

But...it's been too long. It's unfair that these dolls, the soul-less dolls, can walk freely. They can be seen and taken note of. The vast blue sky hovers above them and the luscious, vibrant green grass holds them to this Earth. I have been deprived of things such as this...  
"The Princess Doll...?"

I look through the eyes of a Princess. Papa smiles to me as he has taken the role of a butler to protect her. She is very vain, and has little concern for others. I don't like this doll. She is not like me. The doll walks to a mirror and gazes at herself. She is very pretty.

The dress the doll wears is made of dark red fabric, and has a white trim. Her hair is very clean and done the same way Papa had my hair done all the time. She looks to be someone who is nice, but she is still mean and bossy to other people. I should be thankful that Papa created and 'classified' a doll such as this one...

:-:-:-

"Heaven's Voice...?"

The Princess doll is trying to obtain the 'Heaven's Voice' from a place called the Aquatic Ruins. She has been escorted by Papa to a town named Rashelo. I once fished in that town. The doll doesn't like that place very much. She says that only commoners would fish for a living. Papa interjects that the fish is fresh and is caught for them to live. She then agrees...

As I gaze through her eyes and watch where she goes, the doll is at the Aquatic Ruins. I hear her scream! I try to close my eyes as I hear her yell out, and I do the same. I hear someone pass by from outside and they are muttering something about me disturbing them. I cry, alone, in my room. The doll has been captured by an 'Evil King'.

"Who is this boy?"

The Princess didn't cry at all. She was put into a dungeon at the Aquatic Ruins and she didn't cry. I can hear her complain about the dust and musty smell of the dungeon she was kept in. I weep in my room as I hear a young girl and boy run past my home. I cry because I am scared. I'm afraid of the darkness that the doll doesn't know of...

A boy walks into the dungeon. I stopped crying when the Princess began to speak to the newcomers. It was a very odd bunch. An older male with a tattered, white coat and gaily-coloured clothes stood to the side of a young woman. She looked to be a hero. She wore white with blue lining and a rapier hung at her side. A pink umbrella was held above her head in her left hand.

It wasn't them, though, that caught the doll's attention. A young boy accompanied them as well. He had short, spiky red hair and dazzling green eyes. I could feel my face warm up at the sight of him. The doll was wondering who he was. Then the boy with the dark-coloured clothes spoke. His name is Ari.

"Ari..."

I cannot help but speak his name. The princess talks to the others as I try to catch a glimpse of the boy named Ari. A shadow appears behind the boy, with yellow eyes, and the boy doesn't mind it! I look at the shadow with confusion, through the doll's eyes, and Ari is pushed forward.

Everyone is stunned, even the boy. His arms were wrapped around the Princess as if he was trying to save himself from falling. It was an accident, but the Princess is still mad. The doll quickly pulls back from this new boy and raises her palm. I try to shut my eyes, but I hear a loud slap as she hits him. Poor Ari...

"Why...?"

After being saved by the boy and returning to Rashelo, the Princess says she cannot forgive him for what he had done and calls him an 'offender'. I wonder why or how he had offended her. After turning away, the doll does not want to speak with Papa. She tells him to leave her alone and let her think by herself.

When Papa leaves, the doll decides to run away! "Please, don't leave Papa!" Another outsider passes by my home and tells me to be quiet. I do. I watch and wait to see what the doll might do. I hope she will go back to Papa, but she begins to leave Rashelo. The doll makes her way through the green grass of the plains to the machine village of Madril.

As she walks through the village, many people stop and stare. They all know that she is the Princess, and some even try to talk to her. She says that she has important business in Tenel and that she must reach it quickly. Another doll went to Tenel once...it was very interesting. It was a homey town that I liked. I wonder if it was still the same.

I close my eyes and try to sleep. The doll did a very drastic thing that I was afraid of. I was scared that Papa would never find the doll again. And that I wouldn't be able to see him again. It was scary to think that the doll could be on her own and not find Papa. But...I was also afraid the doll would not see Ari...

:-:-:-

"...Cooking...?"

I open my eyes to see what the doll is seeing. She had found her way to Tenel and now was in a home. What was this place? The Princess looks around and sees a woman who is making some sort of food. The doll is interested in what she is doing and asks if she can help. The woman nods and then the doll learns how to cook.

After a while, the boy from the ruins walks into the home. I smile to myself in my home. It was nice to see the boy here. The Princess found out that this woman was the boy's mother. "Ari..." I speak out his name again as the others that were with him before walked in after him. The shadow appears from behind Ari again and speaks.

The doll and the shadow are fighting now. "I wonder why...?" I listen in to the conversation. It seems that the shadow thinks that Ari is his slave! The Princess thinks otherwise, saying that Ari is her servant and that he would rather be with her than a shadow any day. Ari tries to stay neutral, yet, the doll whines and pretends to cry.

Ari looks like he is sad and says that he would rather be with her. The doll is happy now and then the shadow curses and starts fighting again. The Princess then says that she owns 70 of the boy and the shadow owns only 30. This makes the shadow, Stan, angry. "I think he likes being angry..." I giggle in my room as I watch poor Ari in the middle of an argument over his ownership.

"A blue flower..."

The Princess is in the basement, contemplating what she should give to Ari's mother. She then makes up her mind that she wants to give her a beautiful flower that is only found at night-time. Ari agrees and the hero, Rosalyn, joins with them. The doll begins to look for the flower with the help of her new friends.

I see that the doll and Ari are looking for it within the woods. They cannot find it after sometime, and the doll is disappointed. Ari says he's sorry to the doll and they begin to walk home. I see that Ari stops, and the doll notices as well. "Ari found the flower!" A child outside throws something at my door and I become startled. I try to quiet myself down.

"A music box...that brings back memories..."

I open my eyes, gazing around as the doll. I had not noticed that I had fallen asleep. The darkness took me when the doll wanted to rest. It seems the doll has given Ari's mother the flower and she treasures it. I smile, happy for the doll. It seems that everyone is going to start their journey again, and the doll is going to be with them. I feel happy. I get to be with Ari.

When they all leave, I can hear a melody. I listen very hard to it, and so does the doll. The doll says something that startles me. She says, 'That melody...it brings back memories from long ago...' I wonder, slightly, as I hear myself saying it as the same time as the doll. I wonder for a moment. Did my voice channel through the doll? The music is lovely.

Ari, Rosalyn, Stan, and the Princess start talking to each other once again. I listen to the music, humming it softly to myself. It is a beautiful melody. Ari presents the music box to the princess. I gasp to myself in my room. Was this boy going to let the doll have the music box? After a small argument with Stan and the Princess, she keeps it. I smile to myself.

The music box makes me wish to sleep...

:-:-:-

"...Complications...?"

I've never really had to worry about the going-ons of the world that the doll is submerged in. Since I live here, in my new home, where it doesn't matter what happens on the outside, I never once had to question what people on the outside did. I do know about the heros and the Evil Kings, though. At the moment, I open my eyes and look through the princess's eyes. She is standing next to Ari, saying that she can get to the top of the building.

It only takes me a little while to notice that the doll is somewhere in Madril. Everything in that town, aside from it's people, is bland and grey. It still might have been a nice place to live...as they reach the top level of the building, a man is standing behind a desk with a smug look on his face. He is smoking a cigar, and I feel the princess wrinkle her nose at this. It seems she doesn't like the smell of the smoke.

The man behind the desk is actually an Evil King! He says that if the princess does not join him in his evil ways to make the world think that the heros and the Evil Kings are working together, he'll make a rumour up about her and Ari kissing! The princess doesn't care what this man says, and stands her ground. She says that she doesn't care because she and Ari are truly in love!

I start giggling in my room at the shocked look on the poor boy's face. He seems like he doesn't really know what to say to that...I wonder? Does he like the princess? After the princess stands up for the group, and they have to defeat a few monsters that the Evil King made appear, the Chairman Evil King begins to flee! Everyone lets him go, because they know that they will be able to take care of him later.

"Ari is so strong!"

Ari's group helped him a lot when they were fighting the Chairman Evil King, but he fought the hardest out of any of them. His friends are very strong as well...but I don't know why I feel so...deeply for the boy. I'm glad that they are all safe, though. The doll turns to Ari and says that her shoes are dirty, and she wants him to clean them for her. After a shocked look on Ari's face, which I giggle to in my room, she says that it was only a joke. They then leave to Madril to get some food to eat.

:-:-:-

I have my eyes closed, so I do not seem what the doll sees. Instead, I am trying to concentrate on my knitting. I can't see what I'm doing, because it's all dark, but I have been like this for so long, that it really doesn't matter. Papa once taught me how to knit, and it's something that I can do to get my mind off of things that are bothering me...at the moment, I am very confused as to why I like Ari so much. I mean...he's very nice to the doll, but it's not me. I shall just have to think about it after the rest of their adventure.

I begin to hum the music from the music box. I don't understand why that is very important to me, either. It could be because its something that reminds me of my time before the classification overtook me...when I was happy with Papa. It makes me smile to think of those times, but it also makes me very sad. I want to go back to those times when I thought that I was loved...

...No-one can love a 'sobbing, distraught girl'...

"...A girl with horns?"

I realize that I have fallen asleep since I kept my eyes closed off from the doll. The group is standing on the upper level of Madril, speaking to a young girl with horns. She is very cute and she holds a microphone. I gasp as I am suddenly angry at this girl. The princess doll turns to Ari and asks who this girl is, but Rosalyn speaks up and says that her name is Linda. For some reason, I feel very angry and jealous towards Linda.

Infuriated, the princess doll turns to Linda and tells her to stay away from her servant! I wonder for a moment...if the doll is angry at Linda because she knew Ari before the doll did? When the girl with horns innocently asks Ari who the doll is, Princess Marlene interjects and tells Linda to stop talking to her servant. I've very confused now. Linda now tells the doll that Ari is _not_ her servant, and that she shouldn't treat him so harshly.

After the two girls start to yell back and forth at each other, I notice that many people had gathered around them to figure out what was going on. Now the girl says something that shocks me and the princess doll! Linda says that Ari and herself were meant for each other. The girl with horns begins to describe how Ari helped her when she was worried about her singing career, and then yells at the princess doll again.

Princess Marlene runs off, and I feel tears spilling down my face. I know that the doll is crying because of this, and I feel very, very sad for the doll. It is sad that she likes Ari, just like how Linda does. I wonder, though, why the princess likes him so much...then I wonder why I do. I feel as if the doll is very safe around Ari, and I wonder if they would soon meet with Papa again.

"...Please talk to Ari...he will help you..."

The princess doll is crying now. She has locked herself in a room of the hotel in Madril, because she wishes to be alone. The doll has the music box that Ari gave to her open, and it is playing the lovely music...but the music sounds very sad at the moment. Ari is trying to speak with the doll through the door, but she is trying her hardest to ignore him.

I am speaking to the doll now, as well, but I am telling her that she should listen to Ari, instead of ignoring him. She is telling Ari about how she just wants to be left alone. She's weeping in the room, and it kind of reminds me of myself when the darkness is all around me. I can't speak to anyone around me, and I just cry and wish I was with Papa.

But the doll doesn't know of the darkness...and, even though I know that I won't be lost in darkness because of this, I begin to cry, because she is crying. The one who is supposed to be 'me' is crying...and I cannot help but cry with her. If she only listened to Ari...if she only knew that he was trying to help her...to giver her guidance and reassurance...then she would be better off.

"...Free him from his life of servitude? Or will she?"

I begin to laugh in my room.

After the princess doll told Ari to leave her alone, she waited until she knew that he was gone to come out. Searching around the town for a while, she asked if anyone had seen them leave, and the people that did said that they left for Pospos Snowfield. Princess Marlene then went through the Tranverse Tunnel to follow them. She was muttering small things about how Ari left her, and that the snow was cold. I felt jealous that she knew of the cold...

When she arrived where Ari and his group of friends were, they had just finished beating Linda...for a moment, I wondered why they would be fighting...then I knew. Linda must have been an Evil King in Stan's way. When the doll arrived, she told Ari that he has been free of his life of servitude. I smile and laugh. The poor boy...having to deal with his life being thrown around from one person to the next.

The princess doll and Linda begin to fight over Ari again, and I sigh. At least she isn't crying now. Now she is just angry with Linda, who thinks that she will be able to have Ari all to herself. Linda then asks what part of Ari she likes the best, and I can see Ari blushing because the two girls were talking about him...and he was standing quite close to them both.

Without waiting for the doll to answer, the girl with horns interjects and says that her favourite part about Ari is his big, yellow eyes. I'm shocked just like everyone else is, and then I start laughing again in my room. She must have been talking about Stan! Everyone in the group stands dumbfounded, until the scholar, Kisling, says that she must have believed that Ari was Stan.

As they figure out the situation, I am trying to stifle down my laugher at the confused faces of the party. After a while, I hear a rock thrown at my door, and I try to quiet down. It's so amusing that there are people like that in the world! Even if they are ghosts or Evil Kings...to me, it really doesn't matter. It's good to know that there are people who can have fun, and enjoy it.

The princess doll then gets angry at Ari again and says that he must serve her to his death! I knew that the poor, unfortunate boy wasn't going to be left alone. This makes me smile, though...to know that Ari will be around to protect the doll...so I can see him.

So I can see Ari...

:-:-:-

As the doll follows Ari and the group through their travels, I learned many things about the people that had joined them. Linda is actually a really kind girl, even though she can be a bit of a ditz at times. The princess doll still fights with her once in a while...but that's probably because Linda sings her songs while they all are traveling on their journey. I think it's cute that someone can break into a happy song in the middle of something that isn't very happy.

I don't know where this guy came from...but his name is Big Bull. He seems odd...because he talks differently from the others...mostly using slang words in his speech. But he's quite amusing! He nicknamed almost everyone in the group. I giggle at this as I recall the names. The doll is nicknamed 'Don', Rosalyn is known as 'Sister', and Kisling is named 'Doc.' I laugh again when I find out that Ari's nickname is 'Cub.'

Kisling is the scholar of the group. I heard about him when I had another doll to look through, but I had never met him. He is a very interesting person, but he only speaks when he knows that the others can't figure it out on their own. When he does speak, he uses very complicated words. Sometimes, I don't think Big Bull understands what he means...well, I don't understand him very much, either...I'm sure he's quite kind at heart.

Rosalyn is a very respectable hero. She takes her classified roll very well. It seems that she is also very passionate about her work. If she gets something on her mind, she will strive for it until it is finished. I admire people like that...but she is also very stubborn. Stan and her fight almost every time Stan says something. It seems she really doesn't like him very much at all.

Stan is very...odd for an Evil King. I don't know if that's just an act he's wearing, or if he actually is trying his hardest to be evil! I laugh a lot at his jokes. This is a very fun adventure. Especially with Stan here. He makes everything better with his funny comments. Too bad he fights with Rosalyn a lot...I think that if they met on better terms, they might actually not pick on each other so much.

...But the real reason why I pay attention to this adventure so much is because of Ari...

I don't know too much about love...since I haven't had any experience with it when I was in the world of classification...and now that I can only see through the eyes of dolls...I don't how I can try to learn about it. But what I do know, is, that I would like to be with Ari through any troubles. It seems he cares about how others feel around him, taking little note to himself. He's very supportive.

He is the most intriguing of the group to me. I've watched how he walks; carefully and unconfident about himself. It's timid looking and he seems to pause and think before making a move. The way he runs; still unconfident, and a bit edgy. He stops quickly, too, when he halts from running. The way he talks is also quite hesitant. I wonder why he is so unsure of himself.

But still...I don't know what I would be doing if Ari was not in this party...it seems that he's what's keeping all of them together. Even if everyone is after Stan, whether it be for his heart or to see his defeat, I believe it's Ari that is there to hold them there. I often wonder if he realizes this...

"...Magic square...?"

My attention from my thoughts are taken when I see that Ari has stepped upon a magic square that was found at the end of the Madril Sewers. I heard through the doll's ears that a magic square will 'reinforce the attributes of the one who steps on it'...I hear them question if it's good for a human to use it, since it's for Evil Kings, and I begin to get worried. They call Ari away from the platform when a white light surrounds him, and I call out to him through the doll.

"Ari!"

I couldn't quite make out the yell that someone from my home directed towards me, because all of my attention is focused on the scene that I witness. As the light fades from where Ari stood, I cannot see him! Everyone looks around the area and comments on how the magic square must be used to raise someone's power. It seems no-one has taken note of Ari's disappearance!

Something is terribly wrong! I stand up in my small room, something that I normally never do, and yell out in distress. What has happened to Ari? Was he taken from the world of 'classification'? And what about poor Stan...he seems to be gone as well!

Suddenly, the music box that the princess doll has begins to play, and they all wonder what the sound is. The doll then speaks up, saying that it is precious to her, and that she must not break it...yet she doesn't know exactly why. I am thoroughly confused, but that is not my own feelings. The doll senses something is missing, but she does not know what it is...nor does she understand this confusion.

I wish to start crying, but this is not the feeling of the one who control's me, so I sit in my room. I begin to whimper things to myself. "It's okay, it's okay...Ari will be alright..." At first, I thought that those words would be true...I thought that I would be able to see Ari again...he would continue on his adventure and make the doll happy...which in turn would make me happy...even if it wasn't really me that he spoke to.

I want to reassure myself that everything will be okay...

...I'll see Ari again...

:-:-:-

"Where is Ari...?"

I begin to sob without tears in my small room of this town. I haven't been able to talk myself out of my depression. The boy is lost, and I don't know if he can be found again...it's quite sad.

"...Ari...?"

I'm in my room, sitting on the floor as a window is open opposite from my position on the ground. I can feel the warmth of the sun stream through it, and the floor that I rest upon is warm to the touch. These seem like the only two warm things I have, now. I think I've given up hope...but I just want to know why.

"...Why is Ari gone...? Why can't I see him...?"

I question no-one in particular, because I know I won't be given the answers...it's sad that I know that no-one here cares about me.

"...Why can't I see him anymore?"

...I feel like I should go to sleep. I want the darkness to take me, now...Ari is gone. I should have hope that Papa may find me one day, but I don't. I've been through countless dolls, and every time they are taken away from me. Papa cannot find me through the use of a doll, but he does not understand this.

"...I miss you...Ari..."

I close my eyes and decide to rest...maybe that's all I need for the time being...

...just to sleep.

:-:-:-

It has been days since the disappearance of Ari...

The doll thinks nothing of it. She is with Papa now, but I am at all happy with this turn of events. I haven't smiled in my room for a while now...nor have I laughed. Even when the doll seems happy to be with Papa, I just don't feel up to being happy like I was...I know something is wrong.

They are currently in Madril, the doll and Papa, that is. She is playing the music box that Ari gave to her, and she says to Papa that this adventure is not fun at all. The doll says that there was an adventure that she liked, but she cannot recall why she enjoyed it so much...she is thinking about it while listening to the music box. Her thumb is running along the rim of it as she looks down.

She doesn't understand the darkness that I wish to come to me...

:-:-:-

I have been sleeping a lot more lately. I didn't see a need to be awake if I just didn't want to see through the doll's eyes anymore. I am fortunate to have opened my eyes, though, at this time. The reason I did, though, was because I heard a familiar woman's voice.

I am astonished! The doll is at Ari's house, and she is talking about him with his mother! I gasp in my room and sit up in my bed, very confused as to how this is working. Was Ari somehow found? Did he recover from his disappearance? It seems that the both of them are chatting away happily, until knock is heard at the door. Ari's mother goes to the door and the doll follows.

I am so happy now...it's strange how feelings work like that. I know now that Ari is at least within the world...which is a great sign. The doll seems to know the adventure, and that Ari must be looking for her. When the door opens, though, it is my Papa. I smile now at the sight of him, even though he has a very grim look on his face. Now that I know Ari is okay...I feel better...

A sudden scream and the doll is lifted into the air, outside of Ari's house. I gasp loudly and scream as well; in sync with the doll. I hear yells that are again directed towards me, but I do not stop. I suddenly fear my Papa, and what he is doing to the doll. Ari's mother screams, and I hear the yells of Ari's father as well. The doll is dangling in the air, her hands grasping at seemingly invisible hands.

Eyes wide, I try to see through the doll's eyes, but she has them closed tightly against the pain. I begin to panic when all I see is darkness and I hear the shouts of the people below the doll. I then hear Ari's voice and I call out, through the doll.

"...A-ari...h-help me..."

Tears pass through the doll's closed eyes, and mine as well. I am afraid for a whole different reason than the doll. Papa then begins to talk angrily. He says that the doll won't die like a normal human. I hear him say that he's done everything for Marlene; that he created the perfect world and let her play any role that she wanted. I realize that he is talking to me and not the doll.

He asks why I won't live up to his expectations.

That shatters me.

Did I ask to be taken from the world of 'classification'? I wanted to be with Papa, because he had made a place for me to live...live my eternal life without any boredom. He wanted me to be happy, and I wanted to be with him so I could be happy. But that all changed when I was lost. I didn't mean to be...it just happened. I was sorry...but now...I just wanted Ari to save me...

"...Ari..."

I want to see Ari!

I feel the doll being raised into the air, and Papa is cursing at her, saying that she is just a doll. He is saying that she will never be able to replace his daughter. She will not be able to take my place ever, even if he cannot find me. I hear a chant and I scream out, closing my eyes tight and curling into a little ball. I know what's happening now!

From the doll drops the music box, and it clatters open and begins to play it's sad tune. The doll falls from the height she is lifted up, and she hits the ground, lifeless. Her bright red eyes are open and vacant, lost of all consciousness. I hear Ari yell out and run to the doll, looking towards her fallen form. Tears are slipping down her face, and I open my form to see Ari, worried, above me.

His voice fades, as does his image. I just keep crying in my room as my vision blurs. Everything becomes dark, and slowly, the sad, sad tune of the music box fades...

"...And the music drifts away into darkness..."

:-:-:-

I'm crying, curled up into a ball on my bed in my room. I haven't even thought about moving from my spot. My knitting lays unfinished at the edge of the bed...I have left my small, hand sewn doll on the floor. I wonder if she feels as broken as the princess doll did. I now see why the people of this town hate the sobbing, distraught girl that lives alone...

The darkness has taken me because Papa is angry with the doll. She did not obey him, and did not help him in his search for his real daughter. For me. I cry, alone again, in this place that is my home. I wish that I Ari could have found me sooner, and I did not lose sight of him, as well as my Papa.

Reaching off from the side of the bed, I grab at the old, ragged doll that I had sewn for myself. I hug her tightly, keeping my eyes closed tight. Tears slip down my face, and I can't help but question why I have to be subjected to this. Why can't I truly be happy..?

I know the answer to that, though. I cannot be truly happy until I finally can see through my own eyes. When I can walk freely through the world and be taken note of...that is when I can be truly happy...

"...Ari...I wish I could see you, again..."

I sob in my room and tightly clench onto the doll that is in my arms. I don't know how long it has been since the princess doll's life was taken away. Hours...days, maybe? I shake my head and cry into my pillow, distressed. My thoughts are only focused on a certain young male who I wish I was with at the moment...

"...Ari...where are you..?"

After a moment or two, I pause and listen to a noise coming from outside of my home. I'm astonished at the sound, because I know it to be the music box melody...listening to it brings back so many memories...but why is it that the sound is near me...?

I soon realize that the music box is in my room, on the floor by the window by the sound of it. For a moment, my sadness is cast aside, and I realize that I should have faith in Ari...that he may find a way to save me from the darkness. Slipping off the bed, I walk rather unsure towards the music, and take the box in my hands.

As I listen to the music, I let me eyes open, but all they see is darkness. No doll has been created yet to let me see through...to give me a chance at seeing Ari again. Sighing, I let a few more tears fall before I walk again towards the bed. Sinking down upon it, I hold the box in my hands.

Maybe...one day...Ari will be able to save me...

:-:-:-

I believe that it's been a week that has passed since I lost my ability to see through the doll's eyes to know what has been happening to Ari and the world around him...that's why I was so shocked to wake up to something entirely different today.

Whe I opened my eyes, I thought that another doll had already been created for me to look through. I sighed at this, almost glad that I may have another chance to see Ari again, but through a doll.

Instead, I soon realized that it was myself...my own eyes that was looking at the small room that I always occupied. Shocked and taken aback, I lay upon the bed, just looking around the room. I gaze down at the music box that was next to my bed that played that sweet, sad melody.

"Did...Ari save me..?"

I am filled with joy as I slip off from the bed and I bend down to take the small melody box from the floor. Standing up, I made my way downstairs and stood near the door that led outside. Breathing in deeply, I opened the door, letting my heart guide me. I knew...that if I set my mind to it, I would be able to find Ari...one day.

I walk outside into the streets of Triste. The sun is shining brightly, making all the colours stand out. I stand and stare at the village before me. The ground is beneath me...the sun is on me...the wind is blowing through my hair. I then realize that I have been free of the curse...the 'classification' of the world has been destroyed...

And so, I start my journey...

:-:-:-

On my to Tenel village, I met with a girl who had a pink shadow. Noticing this girl to be Annie, I spoke to her and asked for directions to Ari's home. She must not have noticed how much I actually resemble the doll...smiling, I bowed my head towards her and made my way towards the house.

My heart was pounding hard as I made my way up towards the house on the hill...where Ari must have started his adventure. Ari's mother was working in the small garden they had, and she looked over to me and started asking questions. I nodded to her and smiled, telling her that I was looking for Ari. She said that he wasn't home, but he may be soon.

As we talked, I felt the presence of someone behind me...

"Oh boy, oh boy, oh boy! What great timing, Ari. It seems you have a guest!"

Smiling, I turned around to face the boy who I had wished to be with all along. I know that my face was blushing, as was his. We both stared at each other...ruby to emerald, we gazed. My heart was fluttering as his mother spoke again to us. "...Oh my! I have to present lunch to almost everyone in the town!"

I turned to the elder woman, breaking eye contact with Ari.

"Oh, you may...let me give you a hand..." I spoke rather reluctantly, flushed.

"Are you sure? Do you know how to cook?" She responded back to me happily.

"Um..ah. Can you...teach me...?"

Ari's mother nodded to me and then spoke again. Her words were lost, though, when I looked again to Ari. He was smiling towards me and was gazing at me with his brilliant green eyes. When his mother left to go inside, he took a few steps towards the door and then stopped. Turning towards me, I noted the faint blush and the smile that was on his lips.

Then he nodded slowly towards me.

I walked over to him and took his hand in my own. We shared a brief moment looking at each other and smiling, and then together we walked into his sweet-smelling home.

I know I am not alone now...because Ari is with me...

**-Owari-**

I tried a different approach for Marlene then what I should have, I believe. To me, when she was lost and alone in Triste, I thought of her to be more like a little girl than the doll. So, I have her portrayed as someone lost and alone, like a small child. I couldn't see her refer to her father as 'Beiloune', or 'Father', in this child form, so I used 'Papa', which I slightly find amusing at parts, because of her obviously expanded vocabulary for a small child at times.

This is my first Okage fic, so I hope you all liked it. I might be willing to do another in the point of view of Ari, Rosalyn, Kisling, or the other characters if I get some reviews on this one. What makes me sad is that I didn't even get to _mention_ Epros! xD I kinda winged most of this fic, since I had beaten the game and then decided to write this...so, if there is any misplaced parts in the story, it's because of my memory loss. I was too lazy to play the game all the way through again so I could find certain parts that had Marlene in it. I did have to use my sister's game to look at a few parts when Marlene is in Triste, though.** Please review!**


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